Standing
in its way is a bizarre blockade from the television industry that
appears to be taking its frustrations on internet video out against
the new platform. ABC, NBC, CBS, and most
recently FOX have banned
the platform from accessing their television websites.
And now Viacom, who recently lost
a long and protracted court war with Google web-video
subsidiary YouTube over piracy, has joined the
merry band of banners.

Customers visiting the websites of MTV,
Comedy Central, and Nickelodeon were rudely greeted with denials when
trying to access TV episodes via their Android-powered internet
TVs.

The decision to ban Google's TV platform seems baffling.
Customers could simply step a few feet to their computer and access
the episodes. And why did the networks put the episodes up in
the first place if they didn't want them to be viewed? The
question hot on the minds of many -- why are networks pulling such a
seemingly illogical and glaringly anti-customer move?

At
the end of the day it likely has some sort of vague basis in reality
-- perhaps television providers are fearful of customers switching
from viewing live TV to online episodes, which reportedly earn less
ad revenue. However, the boat seems to have already sailed on
this front and the TV networks help cast it off, in fact, by putting
legal episodes for their most popular shows up online.

Ultimately,
the move will likely accomplish exactly what the networks least want
-- driving more customers away to piracy and web video.

At the
end of the day what seems particularly egregious is the fact that
none of the networks will even talk about their decision to block the
device. Customers deserve an explanation, but networks seem
determined not give them one. Any worthwhile business man can
tell you -- treating customers with disrespect is the greatest error
any business can make.

"There is a single light of science, and to brighten it anywhere is to brighten it everywhere." -- Isaac Asimov